Seattle Chiropractor Discusses How To Stay Injury Free While Riding Your Bike

Hey, it’s Dr. Zapata here once again with Emerald City Spinal Care in Seattle. It’s finally summer in Seattle, which means it’s sunny, warm, and we have an abundance of absolutely beautiful weather! Now, as a chiropractor in Seattle, I always see an uptick in patients who come in during these months complaining of pain and injury from getting “back in the saddle” so to speak. So, with that in mind, I wanted to share some tips with you on how to stay healthy and injury free while riding your bike. Whether you are riding your bike for pleasure, or for your commute to work…these tips can help you enjoy your bike and stay injury free!

The first tip is to get “bike fit”. Having a bike that is properly fitted to you can help you avoid some of the most common injuries. There are a large number of reasons why it’s important to get your bike properly setup and fitted for your body, and I’ll leave a link here that explains some of the many benefits including:

1. Improve overall rider comfort.
2. Help prevent cycling-induced repetitive stress injuries.
3. Reduce or eliminate back, knee, neck and wrist pain.
4. Reduce or eliminate “hot foot”
5. Reduce or eliminate saddle discomfort and genital numbness.
6. Reduce or eliminate numbness in the hands and fingers.
7. Reduce rider fatigue.

Here’s that link: https://www.liv-cycling.com/global/campaigns/the-importance-of-proper-bike-fit/19822. So, be sure to head to your local bike shop to get fitted!

The next tip is to integrate strength training into your weekly routine. Strength training will help you work on muscle imbalances and weaknesses which can otherwise lead to injury when spending prolonged periods riding your bike. Oh, and don’t forget to work on your core!

Next up is working on your flexibility. Increasing your flexibility will help you counteract the potential strain on your body from the constant riding position you are in.

The fourth and final tip is to consider chiropractic. If you have imbalances in your spine while you are riding your bike, it can lead to neck and upper back pain, or even hip or knee pain. So, ensuring that you have a properly aligned spine can help you to get more enjoyment out of your time in the saddle, with less pain!

That wraps up another Tip of the Week! I hope you find this helpful. With more and more people in Seattle turning to their bikes when it comes to commuting, I felt it was important to share some tips on how to make that commute a pain-free one!

For all of us at Emerald City Spinal Care, thanks and have a great week!

- Zapata and the Emerald City Spinal Care Team